Electrical connection means



June27, 1939. H. A. DOUGLAS 2,164,200

ELECTRICAL CONNECTION MEANS Fild May 31, 1935 Homes A-Doastaa I N v TOR Patented June 27, 1939 PATENT OFFICE ELECTRICAL CONNECTION MEANS Harry A, Douglas, Bronson, M ich., assignor to Kingston Products Corporation, a corporation of Indiana Application May 31, 1935, Serial No. 24,253

7 Claims.

My invention relates to electrical connection means, and more particularly to connection means mountable on a base, or on the casing of an electrical device, and the principal object of my invention is to provide a new and improved electrical connection means. In the drawing accompanying this specification and forming a part of this application, I have shown, for purposes of illustration, one form which my invention may assume. In this drawing: I

Figure 1 is anelevational view, partly in ver-' tical longitudinal section, of a connection means embodying my invention, comprising a plurality of terminal connectors mounted on a fragmentarily shown casing,

.Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view along the line 2--2 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows,

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view along the line 3-3 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows, showing the base fragmentarily and only one of the terminal connectors, and

. Figure 4 is a perspective view of a detail.

Referring to Figure 1 of the drawingpthe connection means is here shown as associated with a casing III, which may be a casing of any desired electrical device, the casing lfl carrying an insulating base II in turn carrying terminals I2, I3, and I4. While three terminals have been illustrated, it will be understood that any number of terminals, one or more, may be utilize-d, depending upon the connections desired to be made. The insulating base Ilis in this instance larger than an aperture I5 in the casing Ill and may be held to the casing by tongues It, H, which may be struck up from the casing and clinched over the insulating base.

In the illustrated embodiment of my invention all of the terminals I2, I3, I4 are alike and therefore a detailed description of one of themapplies to all of them, so that it will be understood that the terminals I2, l3 show in elevation the same form of terminal as the terminal I4, the latter being shown in vertical longitudinal section in Figure 1. The terminal I4 comprises a tubular body portion l8, which is of oblong rectangular cross-section, as shown in the horizontal section of Figure 3, having opposite walls I9, 26, in this instance shorter than opposite walls 2|, 22 at right angles to the walls I9, 20. The longer wall 2| is, in this instance, formed in halves, one half 23 being integral with the wall I9 and the other half 24 integral with the wall 2|]. In like manner the longer wall 22 is iormedtin halves,

one half 25 being integral with the wall l9 and the other half '26 integral with the wall 20. The shorter walls I9, 20 are integrally joined by a U-sh'aped loop portion 21, forming an aperture Ell, whose axis is at right angles to the axis of (51: the tubular body portion I8. The edges of the loop 21 .may be tapered from the bight of the loop tothe junction between the legs of the loop and'the walls I9, 20, as indicated at 2B, 29 (Figure 2) The upper ends of the walls 2|, 22 may be trimmed so as to form an arcuate edge 59 concentric with the aperture 6B, if desired.

' The walls I9, have their lower ends 30, 3|, as viewed in Figure 1, in abutment with the upper surface of the insulating base II. The lower ends of the walls I9, 2|] maybe bent outwardlyslightly, if desired, so that the places of abutment between the lower ends 30, 3| of the walls I9, 20 and the upper surface of the insulating base II will be further apart.

The walls 2| and 22 are provided with extensions 32, 33 and 34, 35 respectively, adapted to be received in a square aperture 36 in the base H, and in this instance these extensions are made long enough to extend beyond a plate 31 shown abutting the lower surface of the base I. The wall extensions 32, 33 desirably have a corn bined width less than the wall 2| and of a combined width to snugly fit the width of a margin of the aperture 36. The wall extensions 34, 35 are formed of a combined width similar to that of the wall extensions 32, 33. These wall exten sions have ends 38, 39 and 40, 4| respectively extending through slots 42, 43 in the plate 31 and clinched over the plate 31, to firmly hold the 3 abutting ends 3|], SI of the walls I9, 20 against the upper face of the insulating base and to firmly hold the plate 31 against the lower face of the insulating base.

The plate I is provided with an ear 44 ex- 4 tending at right angles from the plate, to serve as a convenient terminal for the connection of an electrical conductor. For this purpose the ear it may also be provided with a hole 45 through which a conductor 46 may be inserted, the conductor being then soldered to the ear 44.

Within the tubular body l8 of the terminal I4 is disposed a detent means 41, which is here shown as U-shaped, the bight 48 of the U being generally flat but provided with an approximately semi-cylindrical protuberance 5| whose axis is at right angles to the axis of the aperture 66. The protuberance 5| may be formed by striking out the metal of the night 48, the detent meanssll being desirablyiormed of sheet :metal.

The legs 49, 50 of the U-shaped detent means are adapted to slide along the inside surfaces of the walls [9, 20 and are also guided by the inside surfaces of the walls 2|, 22. Upward motion of the detent means 41, as viewed in Figure 1, is limited by shoulders 52, 53 extending inwardly toward each other from the upper ends of the walls 19, 20 at substantially the junction of these walls and the loop 21. The detent means 41 is biased upwardly by means of a spring 54, one end of which bears against the underside of the bight 48 of the U-shaped detent means and the other end of which bears against the plate 31.

The spring 54 biases the detent means toward the axis of the aperture 60 and therefore against an electrical conductor terminal 56 adapted to be inserted in the aperture 50. The conductor terminal 56 includes a cylindrical portion having an annular furrow 55, in which the protuberance 5| of the detent means is adapted to be seated when the terminal 56 snaps into the position shown in Figures 1 and 2. The terminal 56 is provided with a frustro-conical end 5'! which serves to cam the detent means 41 downwardly against the bias of the spring 54 as the terminal 56 is inserted into the aperture 60. The terminal 56 may be fastened to a conductor disposed therein b-y'swedging, as indicated by the swedge indentations 58.

It will be evident from the foregoing description of the illustrated embodiment that the terminal I4 is desirably made of sheet metal, the walls I 9, 20, 21, 22 being formed to the desired shape and the channel shaped halves of the body l8 being then bent toward each other until the longitudinal opposed edges of the halves 23, 24 and 25, 26 meet in lines of registry 6|, 62, to form the tubular body 18. By so bending the halves of the body l8 toward each other, the loop 21 is formed. The terminal [4 may be assembled with the base by inserting the wall extensions 32, 33 and 34, 35 through the aperture 36, the detent means 41 and the spring 54 being either then inserted into the tubular body I8 of the terminal or before the body of the terminal is thus assembled with the base. The plate 31 is then brought against the spring 54 and against the insulating base II, with the slots 42, 43 in the plate in registry with the wall extensions 32, 33 and 34, 35 and the wall ends 38, 39, 40, 4| are then clinched over the plate 31.

From the foregoing it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the illustrated embodiment of my invention provides a new and improved electrical connection means, readily and conveniently constructed and assembled, and accordingly, accomplishes at least the principal object of my invention. On the other hand, it also will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the illustrated embodiment of my invention may be variously changed and modified, or features thereof, singly or collectively, embodied in other combinations than those illustrated, Without departing from the spirit of my invention, or sacrificing all of the advantages thereof, and that accordingly, the disclosure herein is illustrative only, and my invention is not limited thereto.

I claim:

1. A conductor terminal receiving means, adapted to be assembled with a base having an aperture, comprising: a tubular body portion of generally rectangular cross-section, said body portion having opposed walls provided with a bent-out part adapted to abut a surface of said 7 base, and having other opposed Walls provided with integral extensions adapted to pass through said aperture and be clinched against the other surface of said base.

2. In combination: an insulating base having an aperture; a plate having apertures, disposed on one side of said base, providing means for electrical connection; and a sheet metal tubular electrical conductor receiving means, of polygonal cross-section, certain of the walls thereof being formed to abut the opposite surface of said base, and certain other walls thereof being extended, and passing through the apertures in said base and said plate, and being clinched over said plate.

3. In combination: an insulating base having an aperture formed therein; plate means, spanning said base aperture, and disposed on one side of said base; receiving means, extending away from the opposite side of said base, and having a recess for receiving an electrical conductor terminal, said receiving means having portions abutting said opposite side of said base, and other portions extending through said base aperture and constructed and arranged with respect to said plate means to hold said plate means and said receiving means to said base; and biasing means, for yieldably engaging and holding a conductor terminal disposed in said receiving means recess, said biasing means having one end bearing on said plate means.

4. In combination: an insulating base having an aperture formed therein; plate means, spanning said base aperture and disposed on one side of said base, said plate means having at least one aperture disposed off-center with respect to said base aperture; receiving means, extending away from the opposite side of said base, and having a recess for receiving an electrical conductor terminal, said receiving means having at least one portion abutting said opposite side of said base, and at least one other portion extending through said base aperture and the aperture formed in said plate means, said other portion having a part clinched over said plate means to hold said plate means and said receiving means to said base; and biasing means, for yieldably engaging and holding a conductor terminal disposed in said receiving means recess, said biasing means having one end bearing on said plate means.

5. In combination: an insulating base having an aperture formed therein; plate means, disposed on one side of said base; tubular receiving means, extending away from the opposite side of said base, and having a recess for receiving an electrical conductor terminal, said tubular receiving means having certain wall portions abutting said opposite side of said base, and certain other wall portions extending through said base aperture and constructed and arranged with respect to said plate means to hold said plate means and said receiving means to said base; detent means within said tubular receiving means, for engaging and holding a conductor terminal received in said recess; and spring means within said tubular receiving means, bearing against said plate means, and urging said detent means to operative position.

6. Electrical connection means, comprising: a base, having an aperture; a member, disposed on one side of said base and adjacent said aperture; a tubular body, disposed on the opposite side of said base, and having a recess for receiving an electrical conductor, said body having certain wall portions abutting said opposite side of said base, and certain other wall portions extending through said base aperture, and constructed and arranged with respect to said member to hold said end abut one surface of said base, and said tongue means passing through said base aperture to the opposite surface of said base; metal plate means, having one surface abutting said opposite surface of said base, and being apertured to pass said tongue means, said tongue means being bent to overlie the opposite surface of said plate means; and biasing means, having one end bearing against said one surface of said plate means, and

the other end in position to yieidably engage a 10 conductor terminal within said body recess.

HARRY A. DOUGLAS. 

